The state of California has launched a campaign informing consumers that they don’t need to change their vehicle’s oil every 3,000 miles, wasting millions of gallons of oil a year. And, not only does it waste oil, it also means the consumer is spending money needlessly (especially for those who have it done vs. doing it themselves).
A spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, Mark Oldfield states that, “survey data found that nearly half of drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner,” despite manufacturers suggested 7,500- to 10,000-mile intervals. The agency said that changing the oil at the suggested intervals will be good for the environment and will not hurt the longevity or reliability of the vehicle. What made sense when vehicles had cast iron block engines with cast-iron pistons, is no longer applicable for today’s engines.
A Ford spokesman, Richard Truett, notes that Ford Motor Co. recommends oil changes for most new vehicles at 10,000 miles and adds that, “Our new generation engines have tighter internal tolerances, which reduces the amount of carbon and other products from combustion that gets into the oil.” For a Honda or Acura model vehicle, the indicator for the need for an oil change lights up very 5,000 – 10,000 miles and late-model BMW’s can go as high as 15,000 miles between oil changes (depending on driving conditions). In an effort to protect themselves against future accusations of selling unnecessary maintenance services, some new car dealers have their customers who come in for an oil change sign a statement saying they understand they don’t need an oil change at that time.